


Stolen Happiness

by AngryBread



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Cookie Thief Than, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Napping, Pre-Relationship, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28493286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngryBread/pseuds/AngryBread
Summary: When Zagreus comes to Thanatos for comfort, Than knows the way to Zag's heart is through his stomach.
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 151





	Stolen Happiness

Thanatos was enjoying a rare moment of rest in his chambers when he heard it. A muffled, shuffling sound followed by a soft thud. His old door let out a creak. It could have been any number of things in the house but Thanatos had a feeling he knew what it was. 

Throwing off the blanket, he silently floated towards the door, listening intently. It was faint, but he could hear the sharp intake of breath leading up to the sob. His heart sunk. He slowly cracked open the door to find Prince Zagreus huddled against it. Tears streamed down his cheeks and his eyes were rimmed red as he tried to contain the silent sobs wracking his small frame. Thanatos immediately sank to the floor to gather him into his arms as the cries finally broke free. Zagreus threw his arms around his neck and buried his face into Thanatos’s long silver hair. “T-Than, why doesn’t he love me anymore?” 

_ Ah, so Lord Hades was yelling at him again.  _ He sighed. Thanatos effortlessly scooped him up and carried him to his bed, settling beside him and pulling the blanket up tight around his shoulders. He rubbed Zagreus’s back in small circles as he let him cry.

He hated to see his lord and prince fight. He had heard some of their arguments before and wished that he could always protect Zagreus from the inevitable fallout. Every time it broke his heart to see Zagreus so upset. Whatever their latest fight was though, Zagreus was crying harder than Thanatos had ever seen before.

He wrapped himself tighter around Zagreus, pressing his wet face to his chest. He held him close and as the sobs began to slow, Thanatos rested his chin on top of Zagreus’s head.  _ His prince was a sweetheart; why could his father not see that?  _

He idly ran his fingers through his dark locks, tucking stray strands behind his ear. He luxuriated in those wild, soft tresses, usually moving much too fast for Than to touch. He felt a hand bury itself in the front of his chiton as Zagreus moved in closer, taking refuge in Thanatos’s arms. He kept trying to speak but his words got tripped up on his ragged breaths. Thanatos pulled back enough to peek at his friend’s face. Golden eyes sought out red and green ones, the smallest little smile gracing Thanatos’s lips. It stopped the stammering god’s words briefly; long enough for Than to will his own words of comfort to come forth. He had never been good at this yet Zagreus still sought him out when he needed a hug. 

“I’m sure he still loves you, in his way,” Thanatos managed as he gave the prince a gentle squeeze. He pressed his lips to his forehead and murmured ever so softly, “How could anyone not love you.” A golden blush bloomed across his cheeks that he hoped Zagreus couldn’t see. 

Zagreus, no longer trying to explain, laid himself against his friend’s chest. His mind swirled between the devastation he felt from his father and the tenderness of Thanatos’s words. He idly curled a strand of silver in his fingers as he committed Than’s blushing face to memory.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After what seemed like an aeon, Zagreus finally calmed down and settled into an uneasy slumber in his lap.  _ I need to be home more often. What if he needs me and I’m not here? _ He gazed down at his prince’s sleeping face. He was rarely this peaceful, much more content to run around sowing chaos wherever he went. Thanatos loved it when he was his jubilant self; playing pranks and inventing new games. He found that he loved this quiet side of him just as much, as rare as it was. So as not to wake him, Than shifted him so that they lay side by side, Zagreus still nestled in the crook of his arm. As much as he wanted to admire the sleeping god, he was starting to feel the weight of his eyelids again. If Zagreus was resting, he could rest too, right? Thanatos let his eyes close and drift off into the most peaceful sleep.

Thanatos awoke some time later to soft snores coming from his bedclothes. Lifting them, he found Zagreus, sleeping soundly, mouth slightly open; a small pool of drool dampening his pillow. Had it been Hypnos, Thanatos would have thrown him out of bed for daring to dirty his sheets but he would never do that to Zagreus. Zagreus was  _ always _ an exception.

He tried to sit up but found himself clutched in Zagreus’s death grip and he flopped back onto the bed. Thanatos considered his options. He grabbed Zag’s hand, carefully pried his fingers free of Than’s wrist and quickly swapped it for a bundle of blanket. He waited nervously to see if he’d woken Zagreus but the god clutched it just as tightly, deep in sleep. He still looked so sad even if he wore a serene expression. Thanatos wanted to wipe away the remnants of his despair but he didn’t know how. As luck would have it, he found his answer in the most delicious smell wafting in from the hall. He straightened himself, stepped into the hall, and, in a flash of bright green light, he shifted away.

He reappeared in the kitchen storeroom, hiding his Ixion wings from the chef. Peering around the corner, he could see that Chef was busying themselves with prep work, the prize Thanatos was seeking cooling behind them. He crept quietly but quickly towards the counter and raised a tentative hand up. His hand had closed around a few of the warm cookies when Chef turned his way. Expressionless, Chef stared at the cookie thief, frozen in place. A moment passed before Thanatos shook his head as if to silently say,  _ You didn’t see me do this,  _ before he clutched them to his chest and vanished. Chef simply sighed, turned back to his work and resumed chopping.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zagreus woke up in Thanatos’s bed, alone. The other god was nowhere to be seen. Wiping bleary eyes, he caught sight of Than’s scythe propped in the corner. He huffed and buried himself in the blankets again, chasing the last bits of warmth left. He knew that he could always go to Thanatos for a sympathetic shoulder and he loved that about his friend. He had lately grown larger than Zagreus, towering over him with broadening shoulders. He hadn’t had his growth spurt yet, which _he was sure_ _was coming any day now_ , but he didn’t mind. Than’s strong shoulder and long hair made the perfect spot to hide after dealing with Father. 

Zagreus perked up when he heard the door open. Thanatos rushed in, cradling something in his hand as he shut the door and waited behind it. Whatever he was waiting for seemed to not come and he perched himself on the edge of the bed. “You’re awake. Did you sleep well?”

Zagreus beamed at him, such a wide grin contrasting his red, puffy features. “Of course! Your bed is so comfy, Than. You should really use it more.” Thanatos made a derisive huff. What did gods need for beds when they didn’t need to sleep?

It was then that he presented his bounty to the prince, warm chocolate chip cookies, freshly stolen from the house kitchen. Zagreus’s face lit up, eyes sparkling as he lunged for the sweets. “These are my favorite!” he mumbled, his first cookie already gone in the blink of an eye. Thanatos suppressed a chuckle as he bit into his own cookie. He had never been much for sweet things but seeing the happiness spread across Zagreus’s face from them made them taste like the finest ambrosia. Zagreus was practically humming with excitement, chocolate smeared across his mouth and staining his fingertips. 

The older god did his best to not stare but he couldn’t help himself. Golden eyes were locked on as Zagreus licked the chocolate off his finger, completely oblivious as he made sure he didn’t miss a bit. Mustering his self control, Thanatos managed to tear himself away as Zagreus cleaned off the rest of his fingers. He was ashamed of himself, really.  _ Zagreus is my best friend and here I am looking at him with a… with… what exactly is this feeling? _ Thanatos wasn’t sure he had felt like this before.  _ It felt similar to his friendship but  _ different  _ somehow. _

A hand on his shoulder broke him free of his confusion. Zagreus was looking at him questioningly. Thanatos simply smiled back. Pleased, Zagreus flung his arms around Thanatos’s neck and hugged him tight. “Thank you for the cookies, Than. You always know how to make me feel better.”

Thanatos pulled back ever so slightly, just enough to thumb off the chocolate from the prince’s cheek. “I’ll always be here for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This took much longer than it really should have to write. I combined two fics together and basically rewrote one to make it fit together but it's finally done!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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